Questions About Crowdfunding? Tabletop Mercenary Will Be Tackling That Topic Soon!

As regular readers know, in addition to running this blog, I make videos for the Azukail Games YouTube channel. And while I've talked about my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting, offered insight and advice for the World of Darkness, and I've got the unboxing for my new RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic debuting this Friday, one of the series that I've been hard at work on recently is Tabletop Mercenary. And, as the name implies, this show is all about how to make a living working in tabletop RPGs for a living.

And so far the most commonly-requested topic for the series has been people asking me about Kickstarter. So I wanted you all to know that I'm listening, and I've got a clever plan to deliver on this topic.

And hopefully it will help other folks out, too!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

You Have Questions, I Have Someone That Has The Answers!

While there have been a lot of questions for a lot of different topics, the most common one thus far has been how to fund your RPG (or related project) through Kickstarter. And since my most recent release was successfully Kickstarted over a year ago, folks would naturally assume that this is a topic I know something about. However, I'll be the first to admit that I partnered with High Level Games specifically because I wanted the professionals to help me with that aspect of things. I could write the game myself, no sweat, but getting it funded was outside of my experience.

But fortunately for folks out there, Josh Heath has agreed to be a guest on the episode where we find answers to all your Kickstarter (and more general crowdfunding) questions!

Shut up and take my money!

So here's what I need from all of you!

- Leave Your Questions in The Comments: Here or on social media, both are acceptable.

- Share This Article: The more people who see this, the more questions we'll have to answer!

- Subscribe to Azukail Games, And Watch The Show: The more numbers we get, the better off we'll be!

If we can manage all of that, I dare say that we'll be able to collate, catalog, and ensure that we have the proper answers for the most commonly asked questions. However, if you have questions about stuff that isn't Kickstarter related (whether it's BackerKit, Patreon, or any of the other funding services and platforms out there) make sure you put those in your comments as well! If you're wondering about it, I promise you there are some other folks out there who are wondering as well.

Also, if you have a moment, consider checking out our most recent episode of the show where I discussed affiliate marketing, what it is, and why it should be a part of your strategy as a TTRPG designer.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Help Us Take The Hill! Stretch Goals For "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic"

As I'm sure regular readers are aware, the Kickstarter for my first full RPG "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic" is still ongoing! There's 9 days left at time of writing, so please consider backing it if you haven't yet.

EDIT: We reached out goal, and Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic is now on DTRPG!

The good news is that we have reached the minimum funding we need for the game to be released. However, before we all start high-fiving and pouring champagne, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the stretch goals for the game, and why it's important for projects like this to get more than just the minimum amount of funding they ask for.

We've got them on the run... take that hill!

Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

The Difference Between Funded and "Funded" on KS

Crowdfunding has been a viable way of getting games made for a while now, but there's still a lot of us who don't know what goes on behind the scenes. Academically we know that the more money and pledges a project gets, the more money the creator makes, but it can be tough to really grasp what that means when it comes to specific terms. So I wanted to pull back the curtain a bit on my project, and give my readers an unvarnished look at what goes on behind the scenes.

Watch the shell casings. There's been a lot of test runs around here.

Typically when a creator asks for a minimum funding amount, that's the price tag it takes to get all of the initial bills paid so that a thing can exist. In the case of this RPG, that's the amount of money it takes to pay the other writers (I did the bulk of the work, but this was not a one-man show), the artists, to print and distribute the books, to pay for layout, and all of the other necessities.

So while getting over the minimum goal is definitely a good thing, it's by no means a full "Mission Accomplished" kind of situation.

If I were making a movie, or writing a novel, then this might be a one-and-done sort of setup. Backers give me the funds I need to finish the product, I deliver it to them, and everyone walks away happy. However, while Army Men is a stand-alone RPG you can play in its entirety with just the base book, I have additional supplements and follow-ups that I'd like to write for it. I mentioned some of them a while back in What's Next For "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic" After The Kickstarter?, but from expanding the rules to include vehicles, mounts, and animal companions, to writing out mission packs, making new monsters, adding new factions, and generally expanding the setting, my hope was that this book would be the first stepping stone in a series that would grow over time.

And while that's still very possible, the best way to ensure that happens is if Army Men manages to hit its stretch goals so that this extra funding can be used to make those additional installments happen.

I can certainly write supplements and expansions for Army Men; that's not even a question. However, it would be a lot easier to write them if there was a little nest egg of extra funding that came from the initial Kickstarter that would allow me to keep the lights on and the rent paid for a little while, allowing me to dedicate my full time and energy to the project. If there's extra money in the pot, then I won't have to take on additional freelance work for other systems to pay my bills. I won't have to pitch fresh projects to other companies, and find time for Army Men in between paying gigs. I could just focus on these expansions, giving them the attention and polish they need to put our best foot forward!

If the audience makes it clear they want more content, then more content is what I'll provide... I'll just be able to do so a lot faster if I'm not juggling a dozen other assignments, and I can focus entirely on building up and expanding this game.

Which Brings Us To Those Stretch Goals!

The main way that you persuade your audience to help you expand a project, and to fund it past the base level (aside from just making something that a lot of people want to see become a reality) is to offer stretch goals. For those who aren't familiar, these are options that unlock once a campaign has reached a certain level, and they're usually fun, extra things to go along with the base product.

So what does Army Men have to offer?

Glad you asked!

The first stretch goal we have unlocks at $10K, and it's a "standard-issue" set of army green dice. While it may not have the floating skulls, light up numbers, or irreverent phrases some specialty dice have, that's almost kind of the point. Just like how bags of the little plastic toys were always the same, these dice are meant to give you that feeling. Instead of being issued a pair of combat boots, a set of BDUs, and a rifle, these dice are meant to be the weapons you take out into the world with you to help you achieve your missions in this RPG.

The second stretch goal is something I absolutely love, because it was partially (though not completely) my idea. Some folks might remember how, in decades past, you could sometimes get a foot locker of little plastic army toys. Well, to sort of recreate that feeling, we wanted to offer an ammo can that will hold your book, minis, dice, and other accessories that will unlock at $15K.

At time of writing we've slipped down just under $7K... so while both of these stretch goals are a goodly ways off, there's no telling what the Internet may do with a little bit of prodding.

So if you'd like to help us reach those goals, and help myself and other members of the team get the resources we need to work on everything from rules expansions, to mission packs, to future installments of game books, please back Army Men on Kickstarter, and share the link in your social media for folks to see. We're in an uphill battle against the algorithm, and even against gamer apathy, and we need all the help we can to plant our flag so folks can see it from miles around!

Thanks in advance for all of your help... we really can't do this without you!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Check Out Chaotic Animations For Classic Animation With Attitude

So, as a resident of the stranger corners of the Internet, I run into a lot of cool projects that no one's heard of. Recently I came across a small animation group who's trying to provide all of us with stories we want to hear, and to present them in a tone that will jangle our nostalgia bells. If you've ever been a fan of old-fashioned Disney cartoons, then you need to check out The Forgotten Toon.

Now, that little video is just a proof of concept from Chaotic Animations. And while they'd love to do more with both this story, and with others they have waiting on their drawing boards, it takes a lot of time, effort, and support to create full-fledged animation. Way more than it takes for almost any other kind of project out there. Which is why I'm doing my part to help boost their signal, and asking my readers to check them out. If you like what you see, then become a subscriber to stay on top of their latest offerings. If you find their videos amusing, rate them, and share them with a few friends. If you're feeling particularly daring, say something nice in the comments. Trust me, it takes serious fortitude to step out onto that no-man's-land with a positive attitude.

We have someone offering encouragement... permission to engage?

For those of you who really want to see where Chaotic Animations is going, though, you can also check out their Patreon page. Every little bit helps, as I like to remind folks.

Speaking of helping, if you'd like to keep Improved Initiative going, then stop on by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page as well. As little as $1 a month will keep my posts coming right to you, and I never charge for these little Monday updates. Also, if you want to stay on top of all my latest updates, then be sure to follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, too.

Support Improved Initiative and Get Free Stuff!

Mondays are typically reserved for funny videos, cool bits of gaming news, or promoting other products and publishers who need a bit of a signal boost. This week, though, I need a bit of a boost.

Put plainly, I need more patrons, and I'm willing to offer some pretty sweet swag to anyone throwing me their support.

With your help, Sir Troll Knight might finally earn his 10th level of samurai!

What I'm Offering

For those who don't know, I have a Patreon page which covers both this blog and my author blog. I'm asking folks who like my work, and who want to see more of it, to stop by and pledge a little bit to help make my ends meet at the end of the month. You can pledge a certain amount per blog entry, or you could set a flat donation for the month. Between Improved Initiative and The Literary Mercenary I make three total blog posts per week (one on Mondays, one on Wednesdays, and one on Fridays), but only two of those posts are "paid" posts (Monday posts like this one are free of charge).

Whatever you can spare would be much appreciated.

In addition to the satisfaction of knowing that you're giving me the necessary backing I need to keep producing the sort of thoughtful, top-quality blog posts you love, I'm sweetening the pot. First, all new patrons will receive a free ebook. There's no forms to fill out or awkward questions to ask; simply choose a book from my list and I'll hand it over to you with no strings attached (though if you enjoy it, I wouldn't say no to a review telling all of the Internet how great your reading experience was).

Second, if I can get a few more patrons every month it means I won't have to rely on irritating pop-up ads to make money from my blog. Readers hate them, and I always feel a little touch of shame knowing that they basically startle you into clicking an ad. So, by supporting me as a patron it means I can keep those ads off my site, and ensure there's no surprises between you and the content you came here to see.

Third, if I can double my current patronage (there are only 20 people currently pledged on my Patreon page) I promise to increase the frequency of my character conversion posts. I've covered the Avengers, Gotham City's vigilantes, and I'm currently working my way through the Game of Thrones cast (you can find all of these on my Character Conversions page), but I only have the time to write a single conversion a month. With proper funding I'd be willing to do one every two weeks, and there would be no extra charge for these posts; it's just one more service I provide.

How You Can Help

If you want to help the simplest way is to go to The Literary Mercenary Patreon page, and become a patron today. If that's a little too much commitment for you, but you've still got a few bucks extra, click the Bribe the DM button on the right hand side of the screen to toss a one-time tip into my PayPal jar. If you don't have any spare cash (trust me, I know how that goes), you can still help. All you have to do is keep reading my blog, sharing my links, and telling your friends to stop on by to get the latest and greatest in tabletop tips and tricks.

As always, thanks for being great readers! In a few days I will return you to your regularly-scheduled content.